If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Earlier this year my husband and I made the decision to move halfway across the country to be closer to our families. We had our first child while living far away from “home” and were now pregnant with baby number two, so we decided we wanted our children (and us!) to be closer to family while they were growing up. It was important to us that they be close to their grandparents, just as we were.

My husband “assigned” me as the packer since I was pregnant and wouldn’t be able to help lift anything during the actual move. I spent several weeks before the big move buying UHaul boxes, collecting boxes from people who had just moved in down the block, and finding and coordinating hotels we could stay in with our dogs during the move. Oh, did I mention I had a two year old at home to take care of AND that we had our house up for sale AND we were also buying a house long distance before we moved??

Yes, I was very busy and very thankful I was in my second trimester where I had passed the morning sickness and dog-tired phase of pregnancy. So, I took a deep breath and jumped in, taking the moving project head on by booking the UHaul truck and trailer we would need for the move and then finding pet-friendly hotels as stopping points for each day. Packing seemed extremely overwhelming at first, but I just dove in and started with things we didn’t use each day. I packed a little each day in between meals, errands, housework, showing our house, and playing with my son. Once I got started it became much easier - it was less and less scary with each passing day.

Another thing I did before the move was have a talk with my doctor about lowering my risk for blood clots. Pregnant women are especially at risk for clots during long car or plane rides. I was concerned because of the long 10-12 hour days I’d be driving our car during our two-day move. His recommendation was to stop every 2-3 hours, get out of the car and walk around and take a break for 5-10 minutes.

Upon learning this, my first thought was, “How will I do this by myself with a toddler and a dog in the car with me?” I knew that my husband would be driving the UHaul and towing our other vehicle and, because of the slow speed he had to maintain for safety, we had decided to split during the days and just meet for lunch and at the hotels. So, what did we do? We called our families! We flew my mother-in-law out (via my husband’s frequent flier miles) a day before the move and she rode with me and helped entertain my son, keep me company (and sane), and helped out during the breaks I needed to take. We ended up stopping about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours and, surprisingly, that actually ended up making the trip go by quicker and easier. We were just focusing on getting to the next break time, rather than thinking about making it to the end of a very long day.

My son did terrific - I’m still amazed at how well he did cramped in a car for two entire days. My mother-in-law brought lots of little toys to entertain him and I think just the excitement of Grandma being there also helped tremendously.

Somewhat surprisingly, we made it to our destination in one piece, still sane (at least as sane we were before this crazy move), and just in time to close on our new house bright and early the next morning, only two days after we began our adventure. Would I do it again? I’ll let you know next time we’re expecting….

Do you have any tips for staying sane while moving when pregnant or with young children? Share them in the comments section!

Tags: moving, parenting toddler, Pregnancy, toddler, Travel